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Azu with pickled cucumbers from beef and potatoes in Tatar style

Tatar-Style Azu — Beef with Pickles and Potatoes

It's like goulash, but with pickles! Azu is a traditional, hugely popular Tatar dish with centuries of history — the old nomads were already searing meat with vegetables in a cauldron. There are countless versions today, but pickles are always a must.

katushafin

Recipe author

Azu with pickled cucumbers from beef and potatoes in Tatar style

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Beef

500

Onion

Carrot

Tomatoes

Potatoes

Dill pickles

Tomato paste

Vegetable oil

Bay leaves

Salt

Dry spices

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 33 % 7 g

Fats 29 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 38 % 8 g

107 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

Gather your ingredients. I used beef, but lamb or even horse meat works well too. Barrel-cured dill pickles are ideal; I only had cornichons, so that's what I used.
Step 2:

Rinse the beef and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels. Cut it into strips, as you would for a regular goulash. Remember to cut across the grain so the meat stays tender as it cooks.
Step 3:

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and add the beef.
Step 4:

Sear the meat to seal in the juices and keep it tender, stirring briskly so it browns on all sides.
Step 5:

Peel the onion and cut it into thin strips.
Step 6:

Add the onion to the meat, stir, and keep cooking.
Step 7:

Wash, peel, and coarsely grate the carrot. Add it to the meat and onion, stir, and continue cooking.
Step 8:

Cut the pickles into thin strips and dice the tomatoes.
Step 9:

Add the pickles and tomatoes to the meat and stir.
Step 10:

Stir in the tomato paste, then salt and season — but go easy on the salt. The pickles are salty and will release more as everything simmers, so add just a little now and adjust at the end after tasting.
Step 11:

Pour in enough hot water to cover the meat and vegetables and simmer for an hour. If the beef is older and tough, it'll need longer.
Step 12:

Right at the end, drop in a couple of bay leaves. Now's the time to add any final salt or seasoning if needed. Cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let the meat rest a bit.
Step 13:

Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into sticks. Pat them dry with a paper towel — drier potatoes brown better.
Step 14:

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet and add the potatoes.
Step 15:

Fry the potatoes until golden and crisp.
Step 16:

Add the fully cooked potatoes to the azu and stir. Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs if you like.

The azu came out really tasty — savory and a little tangy-spicy from the pickles and seasoning. Many versions leave out the potatoes, which gives you a simple stewed meat and vegetables you can serve with any side. I love it with the potatoes fried and stirred right in: it makes for a really interesting flavor, since the potatoes soak up all the meat and vegetable aromas and turn soft but golden.
You can swap the beef for any meat you prefer, but keep in mind the cooking time, flavor, and calories will change. Pork and lamb are usually fattier than beef, while chicken breast or turkey are leaner. Cooking time also depends on the cut and on how old the animal was.